The primary role of the Administrative Core is to coordinate research activities among the four individual research projects, the Technology Core, and the Data Management and Resource Dissemination Core. High-quality functional annotation requires experimental effort on multiple scales, from the biochemical/biophysical to the cellular levels. We will combine experimental microbiological studies, in which we examine gene function in the pathogen, with in vitro biochemical analyses on purified gene products. To maximize our collective output the proper leadership and administrative structure must be in place. We recognize a need to set in place an effective environment to foster the full engagement of each investigator and their staffs, and to provide the scope of resources that not only facilitates, but also enhances individual research. The goal of the proposed administrative structure is efficient integration. This integration will be key to our major goal of providing the research community with the highest quality functional assignment of as many uncharacterized genes as possible.